BIMA Awards

Student of the Year
winner
2016

Ford Liberty

by Ethan Bennett and Owen Hunter-Jenkins

Project information

Henry Ford’s mantra was to provide mobility for all.

Ford Liberty aims to bring this mission into the modern world by solving a global mobility problem. For many from poor regions, finding durable prosthetics is extremely difficult. Most limbs last no longer than a year.

Without one, basic mobility is hindered. By using Ford’s huge resource of factories worldwide in poor countries, students Ethan Bennett and Owen Hunter-Jenkins created Ford Liberty – the first fully maintainable prosthetic leg. By repurposing Ford car parts, the leg can be maintained by local mechanics, reducing the need for regular and expensive hospital visits.